Summarizing & Paragraph Structure Professor Danielsen

Warm Up Question: Write a thesis statement and one topic sentence for your analysis paper. (topic + focus + opinion) Turn in your hard copy of your final draft for Essay #1, including: Final draft Rough drafts Peer Review comments Any prewriting or brainstorming

Summarizing What is summarizing? Why is summarizing important? Giving a brief overview of main points of something. Why is summarizing important? In order to explain briefly about something you wish to further discuss or analyze in detail.

Reading: The Art of Summarizing In groups of 3 or 4, please discuss the following: What is the “believing game” according to Peter Elbow? Why would a writer not want to write a biased summary? What are list summaries and why should we avoid them? What is the exception to the bias rule according to the text?

Examples of Summary Through suspenseful use of dialogue and descriptive details, Malala shows her struggle with relearning how to read and write. Malcolm X’s “Learning to Read” narrative described what motivated him to read and copy the dictionary.

Practice with summarizing: In pairs, please put these quotes into your own words: "Imprisonment has become the response of first resort to far too many of our social problems.” – Angela Davis (Prison Abolitionist) “It’s ironic that those who till the soil, cultivate and harvest the fruits, vegetables, and other foods that fill your tables with abundance have nothing left for themselves.” -Cesar Chavez (Farm Labor Organizer) “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door.” – Harvey Milk (Gay Rights Activist)

Where does the summary go? Introduction Within body paragraphs Conclusion

Paragraphs

What is a paragraph? A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic. Learning to write good paragraphs will help you as a writer to stay on track. Good paragraphing assists your readers in following a piece of writing.

The Basic Rule: Keep one idea to one paragraph The basic rule of thumb with paragraphing is to keep one idea to one paragraph. If there is a new idea, it belongs in a new paragraph. You can have one idea and several bits of supporting evidence within a single paragraph. You can also have several points in a single paragraph as long as they relate to the overall topic of the paragraph. If single points start to get too long, then elaborating on each of them and placing them in their own paragraphs is the route to go. The Basic Rule: Keep one idea to one paragraph

Paragraph Purpose Individual paragraphs often have different purposes within the essay: Description Background information or pertinent facts Definition of terms or concepts Causes and reasons Effects, outcomes, and/or consequences Comparison Contrast Chronology of an event Exemplification (to show through examples) Use of an anecdote or story Classifying and dividing information

Elements of a paragraph A paragraph should contain each of the following: A Topic Sentence Adequate Explanation /Development Unity Coherence All of these traits overlap. Using and adapting them to your individual purposes will help you construct effective paragraphs.

A topic sentence A topic sentence indicates the main idea or topic the paragraph is going to deal with. Topic sentences can occur anywhere in the paragraph - the first sentence, the last sentence, or somewhere in the middle. An easy way to write a paragraph is to put your topic sentence near the beginning of the paragraph. Narrative writing may not have an explicit topic sentence, but you should be able to summarize what the paragraph is about.

Adequate development The idea or topic introduced by the topic sentence should be fully supported, explained and discussed. Use examples to show the idea or topic. Use quotes, facts, details to support the topic.

Adequate development Some methods to make sure your paragraph is well- developed: Use examples and illustrations Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence, details, and others) Examine testimony (what other people say such as quotes and paraphrases) Use an anecdote or story Define terms in the paragraph Compare and contrast Evaluate causes and reasons Examine effects and consequences Analyze the topic Describe the topic Offer a chronology of an event (time segments)

Unity The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus, idea or topic. If it begins with one focus or major point of discussion, it should not end with another or wander into new ideas. New ideas need a new paragraph.

Coherence Coherence means one sentence leads logically to the next, and the ideas fit together. Coherence is the trait that makes the paragraph easily understandable to a reader. You can help create coherence in your paragraphs by creating logical bridges and verbal bridges.

Coherence Logical bridges The same idea of a topic is carried over from sentence to sentence. Successive sentences can be constructed in parallel form.

Coherence Verbal bridges Key words can be repeated in several sentences. Synonymous words can be repeated in several sentences. Pronouns can refer to nouns in previous sentences. Transition words can be used to link ideas from different sentences.

How do I know when to start a new paragraph? When you begin a new idea or point. New ideas should always start in new paragraphs. To contrast information or ideas. Separate paragraphs can serve to contrast sides in a debate or different points in an argument. When your readers need a pause. Breaks between paragraphs function as a short "break" for your readers—adding these in will help very long paragraphs be more readable When you are ending your introduction or starting your conclusion. How do I know when to start a new paragraph?

Good Paragraphs & Bad Paragraphs Class Activity

Paragraph Evaluation In a group of 3-4 evaluate the paragraphs: On a scale of 1 – 5 (1 being low, 5 being high), rate the paragraphs according to each criterion: Single Purpose or Focus Development/Explanation Coherence

Workshop: Thesis, Topic Sentence, and Paragraphs For the remainder of class, please work on Essay #2. I will be walking around if you have questions. Pay special attention to the paragraph evaluation criteria. On a scale of 1 – 5 (1 being low, 5 being high), rate your own paragraphs according to each criterion: Single Purpose or Focus Development/Explanation Coherence

Homework for Thursday Reflection #4 (5 points) Quiz #4 (5 points) Readings due: §  “Analyzing Causes and Effects” (NFG: p.318 – 322) §   “Comparing and Contrasting” (NFG: p.349-355) §  “Defining” (NFG: p.356-366)